General reclining apparatus includes a seat member supporting the lumbar region of a seated person, a support member, a back rest member supporting the back region and a lock device. The seat member is fixed to the support member and is articulatingly connected to the back rest member. The lock device provided between the support member and the seat member locks the seat member in a position and at an angle desired. The lock device generally used is a prop-support type or a serration-support type. The serration-support lock device locks the seat member at a certain set angle using serrations engaged each other and fixed with a screw.
The reclining apparatus or device is generally attached to a bed or a chair as an independent part, thus damaging the appearance of the furniture and making the price high. To attain the firm lock, the lock device is step-adjustable; a user chooses one of the angles set previously at certain intervals. The apparatus is hence incapable of maintaining the furniture in a desirable reclining position. Besides the apparatus can mainly be mounted only on chairs or beds made of metal.
A back-rest angle adjusting mechanism for a reclining chair is stepless adjustable reclining apparatus generally used for an automobile seat or ratchet type reclining apparatus. The former consists of mechanical parts relatively complicated and thus attains easy and accurate adjustment or regulation; but the disadvantage is high cost. The latter has a simple structure and is thus manufactured at a reasonable cost; but the disadvantage is poor adjustment or regulation. A further disadvantage common to both the mechanisms is that a seated person feels discomfort in the reclining position because the rear portion of the seat member maintains its original position whereas other portions move to change their positions.
An objective of the invention is to provide reclining apparatus favorably attached to furniture like a wooden chair or bed without damaging its appearance.
Another objective of the invention is to provide simply constructed and uncostly manufactured reclining apparatus which steplessly locks the furniture in a desirable reclining position.